Oklahoma forward Kai Rogers announces return for sophomore season

Last season, after Alec Blair decided just one game into his college basketball career to instead focus on baseball, Kai Rogers was left as the Sooners' top freshman.

Rogers was not a regular in coach Porter Moser's rotation, but he did enough in his 23 games as a freshman to leave a good impression. So when he announced he would be returning for the 2026-27 season, the news came as a modest surprise, but an awfully welcome one.

Rogers' season numbers don't look especially impressive at 1.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in eight minutes per game in those 23. But in the last two games of the Oklahoma season at the College Basketball Crown, Rogers played a total of 33 minutes, registering 10 points and 12 rebounds. Not bad for a freshman who saw time in just 49 minutes total during Southeastern Conference play and a good sign for the future.

The Sooners will almost certainly use him more often next season. OU lost its top two centers to exhausted eligibility in Mohamed Wague and Kirill Elatontsev, plus starting four Tae Davis. Oklahoma will return two starters in guard Xzayvier Brown, who announced his return last week, and forward Derrion Reid. It wouldn't be a shock to see Rogers slide in next to the two of them, though Moser is almost certainly looking for more frontcourt experience in the transfer portal.

Rogers was a four-star recruit coming out of Overtime Elite in the Class of 2025. He transferred there from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, where he played with Sooners guard Jake Hansen for three years. Rogers ranked as the No. 77 recruit in the class and played in 11 of Oklahoma's 12 nonconference games before mostly falling out of the rotation until the postseason.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma basketball forward Kai Rogers announces return